On such a beautiful day we were not surprised to have a very large team clearing further copses of small birch. We have opened up a significant area on the north of the reserve now. We were lucky not to have the fog which was forecast.

The lake was covered by a thin layer of ice as the previous night had been very cold and the ice barely melted during the day.

This is the remains of a puffball.

The puffball is a distinctive species, producing perhaps the largest of all fungal fruitbodies. These occur from late summer through the autumn and can be found in various grassy habitats or amongst scrub. It is a good edible fungus whilst young and still white inside. The flesh becomes yellowish and then dark olive-brownish as the spores develop. The fruitbody eventually becomes filled with a mass of rather powdery spores, which are developed in a tissue called the capillitium. At maturity, the outer wall (peridium) breaks open and the spores are released in response to physical contact such as rain splash.

The team have cleared the view through to the lake and the stumps were sprayed with herbicide which should prevent any significant re-growth.